Lincoln, Damen, and Irving Park Intersection

Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety Improvements

Update 11/26: Click here to jump to the Alderman’s Decision

Background

The six-way intersection of Damen Ave, Lincoln Ave, and Irving Park Rd is well-known for being a dangerous one for residents and visitors of North Center. Since 2020, there have been 47 crashes at this intersection alone. Numerous neighbors have reached out to the 47th Ward Office reporting dangerous and difficult condition when crossing this intersection by all modes of travel.

In response to these concerns, our office has engaged the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) to put forth a plan to improve this intersection for the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. CDOT has studied this intersection and designed two alternative concepts. The 47th Ward would like to hear from neighbors on their experience at this intersection and their opinion on both concepts. We encourage neighbors to review the concepts and fill out the survey below.




PAST COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (Wednesday 10/11/23)

  • In-Person Walk-Through
    Neighbors attended a walk-through at Martyrs’ to check out CDOT’s designs and exchange with staff.

  • Online Presentation
    You can watch a recording of the presentation by clicking here.




Discover the CONCEPTS

You can access the slides from our virtual presentation, including explanations and illustrations of each alternative concept, by clicking here.

Summary of the concepts:

  • Because Irving Park Rd is under State jurisdiction, safety improvements are restricted to Damen and Lincoln Aves.

  • Dedicated left-turn signals from Damen onto Irving Park are not logistically feasible, meaning that left turn conflicts between drivers and other users (the most dangerous kind for pedestrians) cannot be eliminated without restriction of left turns.

  • Based on the above, one concept proposes the elimination of left turns from Damen altogether (traffic data gathered earlier this year, visible in the presentation, support the feasibility of this change). In addition to removing conflicts, this allows for greatly expanded pedestrian space, reducing crossing distances significantly. It also makes it possible to create parking-protected bike lanes to increase cyclist safety approaching and exiting the intersection.

  • The second concept would maintain left turn lanes on Damen, meaning that dangerous conflicts are not eliminated. This reduces the extent to which pedestrian space can be expanded on Damen (fully removing many pedestrian safety improvements on Damen contained in the first concept). Pedestrian safety improvements on Lincoln are the same in both concepts. This concept still creates protected bike lanes (though it does not include some of the protections contained in the first concept), but that now requires the elimination of parking on a portion of Damen Ave.

Alderman Martin's Decision

After reviewing feedback from hundreds of community members, Alderman Martin has asked CDOT to proceed with pedestrian and cycling safety improvements at the intersection of Lincoln, Damen, and Irving Park that will remove some parking on Damen in order to build curb extensions and protected bike lanes, while maintaining existing left turn lanes. 

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Alderman Martin is thrilled with the amount of participation in the survey, with nearly 600 total responses, including 420 from 47th Ward residents alone. Survey responses confirm that many residents don't feel safe using this intersection, with nearly three quarters of them citing such safety concerns as drivers having poor visibility, crosswalks being too poorly marked, bike lanes being inadequate, and crossing distances being too long. While this survey did not constitute a vote, it is worth noting that survey respondents were evenly split between the two options.

Alderman Martin has decided to move forward with the option that maintains the left turn lanes and removes some parking on Damen to make way for pedestrian improvements and a protected bike lane. His decision is based directly on survey respondents' substantive feedback. The Alderman shared the concerns of many respondents that removing the left turn lanes could negatively impact nearby residential streets. By banning drivers from turning from one major street onto another, that option risked sending through traffic onto side streets in search of an alternative, with drivers instead turning onto residential streets like Grace or Berteau. This potential outcome runs counter to our office’s work with CDOT to discourage through traffic from using residential streets and to calm traffic on those streets, including through the recent construction of pedestrian safety improvements on Grace in front of Bell Elementary, and the expansion of cycling facilities on the Berteau Greenway and the new Leavitt Greenway. Moreover, Alderman Martin shares certain respondents' concerns about the City's ability to enforce a ban on left turns, potentially leading drivers to attempt those movements in a more dangerous setting.

Alderman Martin is requesting that CDOT proceed with the detailed design of the second concept. The improvements may change slightly as the design is refined, but they are expected to include:

  • Curb extensions narrowing crossing distances for pedestrians across Lincoln both north and south of the intersection;

  • Wider, more visible crosswalks on all legs of the intersection;

  • Protected bike lanes on the approach to the intersection on Lincoln and on Damen, as well as exiting the intersection on Lincoln north of the intersection;

  • Bike boxes on the approaches to the intersection on Damen, to allow cyclists to wait for the light safely ahead of vehicles.

  • The Alderman will also support the installation of a new Stop Sign at the intersection of Lincoln & Byron, to respond to concerns raised by local residents and businesses.